THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A former Dutch lawmaker who had been fiercely critical of Islam has become a Muslim. Joram van Klaveren was a lawmaker in the Party of Freedom, led by Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders, from 2010 to 2014. He made headlines and raised eyebrows in the Netherlands...
Voters Reject Nationalism. Now Let’s Do Immigration Reform.
Whenever there is an aggressive change in direction away from the principles America was founded upon, our country has a way of coming together to restore them. As it has in the past, this process of renewal played out on election night. With a 3.7 % national unemployment rate, a...
Immigrant, Muslim Groups Lead Fundraising Efforts for Synagogue Victims
Following Saturday's massacre at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, two crowdfunding appeals have raised close to $725,000 to assist the victims as of Monday morning. Since launching, a campaign on the GoFundMe site had collected nearly $600,000 in donations as of Monday morning while a separate effort on the LaunchGood...
Anyone Who Says The Quran Advocates Terrorism Hasn't Read Its Lessons on Violence
Only two groups in our society promote the “Quran teaches terrorism” myth: anti-Muslim pundits and Isis extremists. Both are wrong. This simplistic conclusion ignores that many groups in many countries are experiencing terror right now. It ignores the international arms trade from powerful western nations that wholly disregards human rights and has caused the death of more...
San Francisco Museum Shows off Modern Muslim Women’s Fashions
SAN FRANCISCO — The head covering is among the most identifiable elements of Muslim women's dress and most likely to be portrayed as drab and restrictive to the Western eye. But a new exhibition in San Francisco shows that the covering used by some Muslim women can be a bright...
'Our Man in Tehran' Airs Tonight & Tuesday on ValleyPBS
What is life like in Iran? New York Times correspondent Thomas Erdbrink teams up with Frontline to answer that question in a two-part documentary airing tonight and Tuesday (Aug. 14) on ValleyPBS and PBS stations throughout the country. In "Our Man in Tehran," Erdbrink illuminates Iranian people who are often...
Tlaib Will Become First Muslim Woman in Congress
DETROIT — Former Michigan state Rep. Rashida Tlaib has won the Democratic nomination to run unopposed for the House seat long held by former Rep. John Conyers, setting her up to become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. No Republicans or third-party candidates ran in Tuesday's District 13 primary...
Victory for Trump and McConnell. Supreme Court Upholds Travel Ban.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority. The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court's first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy, and the president quickly...
National Security Experts Say Supreme Court Should Overturn Trump’s Travel Ban
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality of President Trump's executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens from seven countries. All but two of the targeted countries have majority Muslim populations. The current order is the third version of Trump's travel ban, all of which...
Can Rohingya Muslims Ever Return Home to Myanmar?
In January, over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who escaped ethnic violence in Myanmar were supposed to begin a repatriation process back to the country they fled. The refugees are currently sheltering in over-crowded camps inside neighboring Bangladesh. With monsoon season fast approaching, concerns are growing that the soon to be rain and...